


golden abyss

by leop1ka



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bisexual Panic, Flirting, M/M, MAJOR FLUFF!!!!, Sokka is a bi disaster, Swearing, aang and suki, also kinda college au, femboy zuko ???, i have absolutely no idea how coffee or college works, mention of katara, no i didn't proof read this fuck you, sokka has absolutely no idea how to be smooth but he tries his best and thats all that matters, sokka is a tired college student and a volleyball player, this is for the girls and gays, toph is a wingman, zukka but make it coffee shop au!!, zuko is a barista
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:09:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28819050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leop1ka/pseuds/leop1ka
Summary: sokka is a tired college student with a caffeine addiction. zuko is the new mysterious barista at his favourite coffee shop.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 121





	golden abyss

**Author's Note:**

> will i ever stop losing it over these two chaotic bisexuals? absolutely not.

"Are you gonna keep staring at the barista or actually study, Captain Boomerang?" Toph asked, and for a question that was supposed to be serious, the way she was grossly digging into her nose for everyone in the cafe to see, gave Sokka the impression that it was anything but. 

He tore his eyes from the black-haired beauty of a barista he had been practically ogling for the past 10 minutes (even though he'd never admit it), and focused them on Toph, his childhood best friend, fellow college student, majoring in engineering, and roommate, who he forcefully dragged to the cafe to help him study for his upcoming exams. He would have asked his sister for help, knowing that at least she cared about academics, unlike Toph, who almost never handed her assignments on time and skipped most of her classes (it was honestly a miracle how she wasn't expelled yet), but Katara refused to help him, claiming that she was going on a date with Aang. Suki also declined, using her "very important" martial arts practice as an excuse. Sokka, who didn't like studying alone, was faced with only one option - Toph. 

After a long time of Sokka basically bribing Toph with money to come along with him, and Toph stubbornly arguing back, she eventually agreed, saying that he was going to do all of their laundry for the next week. Sokka hated the idea, but hey - that was something future Sokka would have to deal with. For now, he was just happy he had somebody to keep him company. 

Sokka expected to grab an espresso and stay at the cafe for about a couple of hours, while Toph was busy gulping down the delicious chocolate cookies and little pastries the establishment offered, then loudly burp afterwards. That's what usually happened on the rare occasions that he brought Toph along to study. Instead, he was met with the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, when he stepped towards the counter to order. 

Sokka visited " _The Blue Spirit_ " almost every single day, whether it be to study or to relax after a tiring volleyball practice - he was completely sure he would have noticed such a pretty barista. No, he had to be new. 

Sokka was so busy drooling over the new barista, his golden eyes, delicate yet sharp features, medium-length black hair and pale skin that was only marked by a distinctive burn scar on the left side of his face, from his eyebrow to his cheek, which only made him more beautiful in Sokka's eyes, that he didn't even notice he hadn't ordered yet, and was brought back to reality by Toph elbowing him in the ribs. 

And here he was now, sitting on a wooden table near the counter, which allowed him a perfect view of the barista, not having written anything down and staring at him dreamily. Sokka regretted not reading his name tag, because at least then he would have the guy's name. Now he couldn't even study properly, his thoughts clouded by ways to ask out the barista without sounding awkward. 

"How did you know I was looking at him?" The volleyball player responded to her question, arching an eyebrow. 

Toph scoffed, like he was asking her if 1+1 was 2. 

"Ever since you saw him, your heartbeat quickened. It calmed down when you set up your laptop, but it started going faster again when he came by to give you your drink. It hasn't changed its pace since you sat down, so I can only assume you've been looking at him the entire time." Toph answered, picking the dirt underneath her fingernails lazily. 

Sokka blinked. For a blind girl, she was more observant than most people he knew. 

"Oh." He breathed out, looking down at his hot espresso, putting his large hands on the cup and trying to warm them. Sokka tried to ignore the way he got goosebumps when the cute barista yelled another customer's name. 

_Fuck, even his voice was sexy._

"If you're not gonna study, I'm leaving. Not planning on helping you get dick." Toph said a bit too loudly for Sokka's liking. The girl raised her arms behind her head and closed her eyes, exposing the cookie crumbs on her dark green sweater. 

Sokka sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. He knew he wasn't going to focus if the barista was there. Maybe he should go back to his dorm room and study there? He quickly brushed the idea away, knowing that the distance between his college and the cafe was almost 40 minutes, and he didn't really like the idea of walking in the freezing cold for more than half an hour. Besides, he needed a lot of caffeine if wanted to study and the coffee machine near campus was currently broken. What if he went to a different coffee shop? No, that wouldn't work either. There weren't any coffee shops nearby. Well, shit. 

Sokka groaned and heard Toph snicker. 

"Captain boomerang has got a little crush! Ain't that some shit?" She laughed hysterically, and Sokka tried to ignore people's stares. Thankfully, the cafe wasn't that busy at the moment, and most people had their headphones plugged in. He just hoped the barista didn't hear their conversation. 

Sokka bit his lip, debating on what he should do. Maybe he should just leave? He'd rather die than embarrass himself in front of his new crush by asking him out. The guy probably didn't even bat an eye in his direction, what made Sokka think he'd be interested in a poor college student who had been single for more than two years? He looked like the person people ran after, the kind of person who could get with anyone he wanted to. Why would he want to be with him? What made Sokka think he was special? 

The butterflies in his stomach were suddenly replaced by a heavy weight on his shoulders. That's what always happened. Whenever he was excited about something, he managed to overthink it to the point where he didn't feel happy anymore. 

Toph, who had clearly noticed her friend's nervous silence, slightly kicked his leg under the table. Sokka looked up at her, and even though he knew she couldn't see him, he felt like she was staring at him back.

"Hey." She started, with an uncharacteristic softness to her voice. "Stop stressing and chill out. I'll deal with this, 'kay? Jesus, you look like a lovesick puppy." 

Sokka's blue eyes widened. 

"What the fuck are you gonna do?" He asked, more frightened than excited. Toph wasn't exactly subtle when executing plans. 

The girl rolled her eyes, taking a big bite out of the chocolate cookie. 

"Calm the fuck down. I'm gonna help because I know you're going to overthink yourself to death." She wiped the corners of her mouth with the sleeves of her sweater, crossing her arms across her chest. 

"Didn't you just say you wouldn't help me?" Sokka asked, which he immediately regretted when he took a look at Toph's irritated face.

"Oh, shut up! Do you want to get his number or not?!" She practically yelled and Sokka felt like he was a misbehaving child getting scolded by his mother. He wished the earth would swallow him whole at that moment. 

"I do! Just please stop yelling!" Sokka answered in a hushed voice, pressing his fingers to his lips like she could see him. 

Toph grumbled something under her breath and stood up so fast that Sokka didn't have the chance to offer her his help. She angrily started heading towards the counter, without bumping into anyone or tripping, and waited until the black-haired barista (who was actually the only one currently serving beverages) showed up. 

Even though his table was close, Sokka could barely hear what Toph said to him, and could only see the barista nod politely, take the money that the girl had given him, and head towards the back to prepare whatever Toph had ordered. Even though the whole ordeal seemed normal and totally mundane, Sokka wanted to tear his hair out. 

What happened? What did Toph say? Did she just order coffee or did she have something else planned? 

When Toph sat down, Sokka practically jumped towards her, bombarding her with questions about what she had said. Toph, in return, only rolled her eyes.

"I ordered a black coffee for me, dumbass. Stop being paranoid." She answered and started chewing on the half-eaten cookie again, leaving Sokka speechless.

A part of him, the logical one, wanted to slap himself for being so paranoid, as Toph had put it. Why the hell would he doubt Toph's intentions? Sure, she might love to tease him, and she might be planning something, but he knew that she'd never truly do something he wasn't okay with. He should be greatful that she's even helping him. 

The bright light of the blank google document on his laptop glared at Sokka, silently judging. He let out a defeated sigh and closed it, knowing that he wouldn't get any work done today. 

How did one boy, whose name he didn't even know, leave such an effect on him? 

He took a sip of his now slightly cooler espresso, trying to take his mind off him. It didn't work.

"I still can't believe you like black coffee." He started, and Toph stuck her tongue out at him. Sokka laughed, and tried to ignore the feeling of someone staring at him. 

"It's not my fault you're a little piss baby who can't handle black coffee." Toph teased, taking a last bite of her cookie like it would prove her point. 

"No, I just have good taste." Sokka bit back immediately, and Toph almost choked on her food.

"Say that again. I dare you, say that stupid shit again!" She pointed at Sokka, a fierce look on her face and mouth full of food.

Sokka opened his mouth to frantically defend himself, but a nearby figure heading their way saved him. As the figure stopped at their table, Sokka looked up, only for his eyes to bulge out of their head. 

_It was the barista again._

Sokka felt dumb. Why was he so surprised? It was his job after all, he would have seen the barista sooner or later. 

Despite that, Sokka felt himself blushing when he made eye contact with the boy he couldn't get out of his head. He tried giving him a small smile and he swore he saw a faint redness paint the barista's pale cheeks, but the boy suddenly looked away, taking the steaming black coffee off the silver tray he was holding in his left hand and placing it in front of Toph.

Sokka's eyes quickly scanned the barista up and down, but he couldn't find a nametag. He was wearing the uniform every employee wore, but Sokka couldn't deny that the boy made the boring outfit look hot. The grey apron fit perfectly on his slim, yet muscular figure, and Sokka was hoping he wasn't drooling. Was this guy a greek god or something? Did he not have any flaws? 

"Here you go." The barista said to Toph, a kind smile on his face. His voice was gentle, but commanding at the same time, and the expensive watch on his wrist along with the designer shoes quite literally screamed at Sokka that he was a lot richer than him. 

_How did this guy have the attire of a rich upper middle class citizen, but was working as a simple barista?_

A sudden boiling sensation hit his chest, breaking him out of his thoughts and it took Sokka approximately 3 seconds to realise that the feeling wasn't just in his head - both of the coffees, the espresso and the black coffee, had collided with his blue shirt, staining it and the sharp hotness against his skin making Sokka yelp. 

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry, I'm so clumsy sometimes!" Toph exclaimed, her hands on her chest, and if Sokka didn't know her so well, he would have actually believed that this was just an unfortunate accident. 

So _that_ was her plan, huh? 

Sokka reached to grab the napkins on the table, glaring at Toph, even though she couldn't see him. At least his laptop wasn't ruined. Before he could clean himself off though, he felt two hands press against the large stained spot in the middle of his shirt, desperately trying to clean it with the napkins. 

Sokka's breath hitched at how close the barista was. He could practically count his eyelashes. He gulped, suddenly nervous. His eyes trailed down to the barista's hands - they were pretty, without a doubt. Long and skinny fingers, pale and veiny. They were feminine, sure, but the rough feel of his knuckles rubbing against his coffee-soaked shirt and the way they were littered with small, almost unnoticeable scars, made Sokka think the barista was hiding a lot more than he thought. If his mind was functioning properly, he would have probably tried to guess his backstory, but right now he was trying not to get a boner from the barista's hot breath against him, as ridiculous as it sounded. 

"Uh...nice hands." Sokka muttered and the barista stopped his movements momentarily, looking up at the customer. Sokka wanted to never speak again, and he fought the urge to run out of the shop and never come back. 

_"Nice hands"? Seriously?_

The barista just gave him a shy smile in return.

"Oh, uh, thanks. Nice eyes." He responded, and Sokka wanted to pass out right then and there. If the boy told him to gouge out his eyes at that moment, Sokka would have gladly done so without any hesitation. 

"Thanks. I'm...sorry you have to deal with this. Cleaning a dude's shirt is probably not how you like spending your Friday nights. Not that I would judge you even if that's what you enjoyed! I'd never, uh, y'know, judge people because of their-" 

The barista let out a breathy chuckle, interrupting Sokka. 

"Don't worry about it. This happens more often than you think it does, so I'm kind of used to it by now." He replied. 

"Oh. Cool. The name's Sokka by the way, I thought I should let you know since you're helping me out and stuff. Yeah. Thanks for helping!" Sokka said, and he could practically hear the way Toph was holding in her laughter. 

The barista looked up again, and their eyes met. Sokka couldn't get enough of his eyes - they looked almost regal, eyes which only royalty could possess, beauty and elegance trapped in a golden abyss, a locked cage. Sokka wanted to be key that would open that cage. 

"Zuko." 

Sokka repeated his name several times in his head. He liked it. A lot.

_Zuko, Zuko, Zuko._

The name was just as beautiful as the person holding it. 

"Zuko, huh? It suits you." Sokka said, a boyish smile on his lips. 

Zuko let a strangled laugh escape him. For a guy that looked unapproachable, he sure laughed a lot.

"Oh, does it now?" Was all Zuko said, a flirtatious glint in his eyes. Sokka felt his heart leap.

"You bet it does." He responded.

Zuko shared one last look with Sokka as he stood up, this one different than the rest - a look full of silent longing and mutual attraction. A look Sokka hadn't shared with anyone for a long time.

Sokka didn't even realize Zuko had finished cleaning up his shirt. Looking down, the stain was fading and Sokka guessed it'd probably wash away fairly quickly. 

"You're good with your hands, y'know that?" Sokka teased Zuko, who was cleaning up the table and completely ignoring Toph's presence, intently focusing on the boy with sun-kissed skin in front of him. 

Zuko winked at Sokka.

"Oh, I know." Was his response, and Sokka wanted to jump with joy. Talking to Zuko had been the greatest decision of his life. 

After Zuko cleaned up the table and left them alone, Sokka looked at Toph with a childlike joy in his eyes. Toph had a knowing smile on her face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I'll do the laundry for two weeks!" Sokka clutched his hands like he was praying.

"You better. I'm never doing this for you again, Captain Boomerang!" Toph answered.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Sokka answered, as Zuko neared their table, holding two cups in his hands. 

"It's on the house." Zuko informed them as he gave them their drinks. As Toph immediately started drinking her coffee like she hadn't drank a single drop of anything since yesterday, Sokka carefully turned his cup around only to see something written on it with a black marker. 

_(XXX) XXX-XXXX_

_my shift ends tomorrow at 4. call me? ;)_

_\- zuko_

Sokka grinned.

Maybe Toph wasn't such a bad wingman after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> • sokka's major is in political science, for those who are curious!


End file.
